When you decide to remodel your office space, taking time to consider how you can gain the best advantage from your remodeling project makes the job more productive. Remodeling your commercial space lets you make your office more comfortable or more efficient operationally. You can even use the remodel as a chance to rebrand your company image. Since remodeling probably represents a significant expenditure for your business, it’s a good idea to take the time to plan all aspects of the remodel in advance.

Reasons to Remodel

You may decide to remodel for a number of reasons. Sometimes safety concerns serve as a reason for renovating your work space. Maybe you work in an older building with potential health and safety hazards, such as asbestos insulation, lead paint, or mold. Or maybe you want to upgrade your office to make it more comfortable, more conducive to productivity, or more attractive to clients to enhance brand image. A recent increase in staff size might prompt a remodel as part of expanding your space to accommodate a larger workforce. When you do the renovation, you might want to think about shifting some personnel to place groups of employees who frequently interact closer to each other.

Planning for Remodeling

Careful planning is the foundation for a successful business remodeling project. The planning phase helps you define the scope of the remodel and how it might impact your employees, suppliers, and clients. Start by identifying your main reasons for the remodel and the things you need to change to solve those issues. If your office is outdated and wastes energy, you might decide you need a new heating and cooling system, new windows, more insulation, and updated finishes throughout. If the current layout doesn’t facilitate teamwork, you might eliminate individual offices in favour of a shared work space.

Once you figure out the main focus of your remodel, you can look at other aspects you want to update while you’re at it. For example, elements such as the office kitchen or bathrooms may not be the main object of your remodeling. but since you’re already updating, you may be able to spruce up those areas as well to create a more inviting, comfortable space for your employees and clients.

You can also use a remodel to improve your infrastructure. It might be possible to eliminate a lot of extra wiring and cabling by taking steps such as relocating computer servers or telephone hubs. Think about some energy-efficiency upgrades that offer future savings, such as thermal-efficient windows that can lower your heating and cooling costs.

Remodeling gives you the opportunity to do some general sprucing up, like new paint and possibly some new office furniture. Adding some vibrant colours that match your company logo and providing your staff with more comfortable desk chairs can help you attract and retain top talent, and they’re also part of upgrading or enhancing your brand image with clients.

Step back and consider how you and your employees conduct daily business and think about changing up your office layout. That might mean more private offices to conduct one-on-one meetings or open spaces for employees to interact.

Financing your remodel should be a key consideration in your planning. You don’t want to get halfway through the process and suddenly realize you don’t have the funds to complete it. Tearing down walls and ripping up flooring may reveal other things you want to fix up in your remodel, so it’s a good idea to have a cushion in your budget for these little surprises.

The Remodeling Process

The actual process of remodeling involves at least some temporary inconveniences. While not completely avoidable, those annoyances can be kept to a minimum with some planning. Here are some tips to help during the remodeling process:

• Notify clients, customers, and your employees as soon as possible about any interruptions or changes to workflow due to the renovations.
• Consider ways to keep office shutdown time to a minimum, such as doing the work in stages so you can have just one area at a time closed while keeping the rest of the office open.
• If you plan to close the entire office during part of the remodel, work out a plan for either using an alternate space or having your employees work remotely during the period.
• If your business requires regular meetings with clients, make sure to reserve the necessary space for meetings and make sure your clients know the location of your temporary conference room. If your company is located in a large office building, ask your fellow tenants to see if they have meeting space they can let you use for a short time.
• Keeping people informed through your social media accounts about the progress of your renovations helps you get information out in a way that engages your clients and strengthens customer relationships.

How Can You Capitalize on a Remodel?

Once you finish up the remodel, you can capitalize on the investment to maximize your return. By upgrading the look and feel of your office, you can elevate your company image and attract top-flight employees. Issue a press release announcing the completion of your office renovation, and contact local media directly to see if they’re interested in doing a story on your business. For example, they might focus on how the success of your small business has led to a significant office expansion. A local TV news story or a photo of your new offices in a newspaper or trade magazine is great free publicity that shows your business’ success and growth.

Invite existing and potential new clients to a grand re-opening party at your newly redesigned office. This can be an opportunity to reach out to new clients and engage and impress existing ones. You can use your social media accounts to get attention for your event. You can also use your social media and company website to publish photos of your renovated office, accenting the most important changes.

A well-planned office remodel can be a worthwhile investment that propels your business forward. Take advantage of the opportunities it presents to improve your office layout, make your employees happier and more productive, garner free publicity, and enhance your company image with clients. Keeping track of the remodeling expenses is easier with tools such as QuickBooks. The QuickBooks Self-Employed app helps freelancers, contractors, and sole proprietors track and manage business on the go. Download the app to monitor your business all in one place.